The 32nd SEA Games -- the first ever on Cambodian soil -- officially began in Phnom Penh last night with an opening ceremony at a new stadium built and paid for by China.
The nation is staging the biennial tournament for the first time since it was launched as the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959.
More than 10,000 athletes and officials from 11 member countries are descending on the country for the Games, which run until May 17.
There are 38 sports offering a massive 584 gold medals at the Cambodia Games including the native martial arts of Kun Khmer and Kun Bokator, xiangqi (chinese chess), ouk chaktrang (Cambodian chess), finswimming, teqball and cricket.
Thailand are sending some 800 athletes to the event.
Performers take part in the opening ceremony. (Photo: AFP)
The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) hopes its athletes will bring home 164 gold medals and regain the overall crown, ahead of Cambodia and Vietnam.
Reports claim the Cambodians also want to make history by topping the medals table for the first time.
The Games usually take place every other year but because of the coronavirus pandemic the previous edition, in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, was held just 12 months ago.
The hosts topped the medal table, ahead of Thailand and Indonesia.
Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen hope the Games will have benefits beyond the two weeks the country plays host.
"The Games will not only promote sports but also boost Cambodia's tourism in the post-Covid-pandemic era," said tourism minister Thong Khon, who is also president of the country's National Olympic Committee.
Cambodia has never staged the Games before, in part because of violence and instability that plagued the country throughout the back-end of the 20th century.
Hun Sen's government is keen to showcase the country's stability and has gone all-out in whipping up local fervour.
A successful event and a creditable medal haul could help boost national sentiment two months ahead of parliamentary elections.
A general view of the the opening ceremony. (Photo: Reuters)
Tickets have been given away for free and all schools and universities will close for a month so students can watch the Games. The Asean Para Games follow in early next month.
The Games would not be complete without some controversy between rivals.
Cambodian medal hopes will be helped by a Thai boycott of Kun Khmer, which Thai officials say it is their Muay Thai which was axed by the hosts.
Last night, athletes from 11 nations paraded their flags through Phnom Penh's 60,000-seater Morodok Techo National Stadium.
China paid the US$160 million bill for the stadium, built and designed by Chinese firms.
The Phnom Penh government has put the price tag for this edition of the Games, excluding the stadium grant, at $118 million.
Hun Sen has called it a symbol of the "iron-clad friendship" between the two countries.
Bronze for cueist
A Thai snooker player was assured of a bronze medal even before the team's departure for the 2023 SEA Games on Friday.
Teenage women's snooker player Panchaya Channoi -- or Mai Sakol -- was granted a bye in the snooker singles competition's quarter-finals.
Her progress to the semi-finals automatically qualifies Panchaya for a bronze medal in the event.
The Thai billiard sports squad comprises a total of 16 players, led by the country's snooker legend and defending champion Wattana Phu-Ob-Orm who will be taking part in the men's 15-red snooker singles and 6-red doubles events.
The Thais are expected to win at least two gold medals at the Games, said deputy team manager Amnaj Chayanurak.
A total of 10 gold medals are at stake in the billiard sports tournament of the Games.
